This study presents processes and success stories that emerged from Africa RISING's Research ... more This study presents processes and success stories that emerged from Africa RISING's Research for Development project in the Ethiopian Highlands. The project has tested a combination of participatory tools at multiple levels, with systems thinking and concern for sustainable and diversified livelihoods. Bottom-up approaches guided the selection of technological interventions that could address the priority farming system challenges of the communities, leading to higher uptake levels and increased impact. Joint learning, appropriate technology selection, and the creation of an enabling environment such as the formation of farmer research groups, the establishment of innovation platforms, and capacity development for institutional and technical innovations were key to this study. The study concludes by identifying key lessons that focus more on matching innovations to community needs and geographies, systems orientation/integration of innovations, stepwise approaches to enhance the...
This paper builds upon empirical material from a case study of two dam sites in Ethiopia to revis... more This paper builds upon empirical material from a case study of two dam sites in Ethiopia to revisit nexus narratives from a political ecology perspective. The two dams on tributaries of the Upper Blue Nile are examples of the success of hydro-development in increasing food and energy production, but at the same time they are evidence of the controversial effects these developments have on local populations. The paper argues that conventional nexus thinking has often been too water- and economy-centric, and too much focussed on a “technical quick fix” instead of a holistic approach. The paper calls for a broadening of nexus perspectives in order to better acknowledge the social complexity of hydro-development in local contexts, to understand the political construction of scarcity, and to combine different knowledges at the science-practice interface.
We present our studies on the neutrino pairs annihilation into electron-positron pairs ($\nu{\bar... more We present our studies on the neutrino pairs annihilation into electron-positron pairs ($\nu{\bar \nu}\to e^-e^+$) near the surface of a neutron star in the framework of extended theories of gravity. The latter modifies the maximum energy deposition rate near to the photonsphere and it might be several orders of magnitude greater than that computed in the framework of General Relativity. These results provide a rising in the Gamma-Ray Bursts energy emitted from a close binary neutron star system and might be a fingerprint of modified theories of gravity, changing our view of astrophysical phenomena.
Abstract Climate change is becoming the new normal, finding its way through almost all debates in... more Abstract Climate change is becoming the new normal, finding its way through almost all debates in African development. When it comes to African agriculture, climate change is often seen as yet another monster looming around to devastate the sector. This chapter narrows down this challenge to that of agricultural advisory service and asks, “Is the African agricultural advisory system ready to shoulder climate change? What are the opportunities for and challenges to the advisory system under global environmental change?” The central argument of this chapter is that although climate change might sound new, climate-related risks are not new, either to African farmers or to the African advisory system. Hence, African agricultural advisory systems could/should play a critical role in translating the global climate change agenda into useful advisory programs, projects, and messages that cater to the needs of smallholder farmers.
Climate change is already posing a major threat to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); threa... more Climate change is already posing a major threat to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); threats may intensify in the near future. This book has presented and assessed various approaches to assessing climate change risks and adaptation in Africa. These assessments are approached from multiple lenses that include climate model-linked biophysical modeling, multilogit analysis, and social approaches (e.g., focus group discussions and interviews). The focus of the book was predominantly dryland agricultural systems in which resource-constrained smallholder farmers operate. The results from different cases highlighted in the book give a strong indication that climate change is already having significant impacts on agricultural systems in SSA, especially smallholder crop and pastoral farming systems. However, it is apparent that there are considerable differences in the impacts from one place to the other and across farming systems, states, crops, etc. As such, although it is clear tha...
This study presents processes and success stories that emerged from Africa RISING's Research ... more This study presents processes and success stories that emerged from Africa RISING's Research for Development project in the Ethiopian Highlands. The project has tested a combination of participatory tools at multiple levels, with systems thinking and concern for sustainable and diversified livelihoods. Bottom-up approaches guided the selection of technological interventions that could address the priority farming system challenges of the communities, leading to higher uptake levels and increased impact. Joint learning, appropriate technology selection, and the creation of an enabling environment such as the formation of farmer research groups, the establishment of innovation platforms, and capacity development for institutional and technical innovations were key to this study. The study concludes by identifying key lessons that focus more on matching innovations to community needs and geographies, systems orientation/integration of innovations, stepwise approaches to enhance the...
This paper builds upon empirical material from a case study of two dam sites in Ethiopia to revis... more This paper builds upon empirical material from a case study of two dam sites in Ethiopia to revisit nexus narratives from a political ecology perspective. The two dams on tributaries of the Upper Blue Nile are examples of the success of hydro-development in increasing food and energy production, but at the same time they are evidence of the controversial effects these developments have on local populations. The paper argues that conventional nexus thinking has often been too water- and economy-centric, and too much focussed on a “technical quick fix” instead of a holistic approach. The paper calls for a broadening of nexus perspectives in order to better acknowledge the social complexity of hydro-development in local contexts, to understand the political construction of scarcity, and to combine different knowledges at the science-practice interface.
We present our studies on the neutrino pairs annihilation into electron-positron pairs ($\nu{\bar... more We present our studies on the neutrino pairs annihilation into electron-positron pairs ($\nu{\bar \nu}\to e^-e^+$) near the surface of a neutron star in the framework of extended theories of gravity. The latter modifies the maximum energy deposition rate near to the photonsphere and it might be several orders of magnitude greater than that computed in the framework of General Relativity. These results provide a rising in the Gamma-Ray Bursts energy emitted from a close binary neutron star system and might be a fingerprint of modified theories of gravity, changing our view of astrophysical phenomena.
Abstract Climate change is becoming the new normal, finding its way through almost all debates in... more Abstract Climate change is becoming the new normal, finding its way through almost all debates in African development. When it comes to African agriculture, climate change is often seen as yet another monster looming around to devastate the sector. This chapter narrows down this challenge to that of agricultural advisory service and asks, “Is the African agricultural advisory system ready to shoulder climate change? What are the opportunities for and challenges to the advisory system under global environmental change?” The central argument of this chapter is that although climate change might sound new, climate-related risks are not new, either to African farmers or to the African advisory system. Hence, African agricultural advisory systems could/should play a critical role in translating the global climate change agenda into useful advisory programs, projects, and messages that cater to the needs of smallholder farmers.
Climate change is already posing a major threat to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); threa... more Climate change is already posing a major threat to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); threats may intensify in the near future. This book has presented and assessed various approaches to assessing climate change risks and adaptation in Africa. These assessments are approached from multiple lenses that include climate model-linked biophysical modeling, multilogit analysis, and social approaches (e.g., focus group discussions and interviews). The focus of the book was predominantly dryland agricultural systems in which resource-constrained smallholder farmers operate. The results from different cases highlighted in the book give a strong indication that climate change is already having significant impacts on agricultural systems in SSA, especially smallholder crop and pastoral farming systems. However, it is apparent that there are considerable differences in the impacts from one place to the other and across farming systems, states, crops, etc. As such, although it is clear tha...
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